Ball-caster.



H. L. ALGERMISSEN.

BALL OASTBR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1912.

13353 895, Patentedfeb. 18, 1913.

UNITED ST TES PATENT orrion HENRY L. ALGERMISSEN, OF PROSPECT H ILL,- MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM FAR-BELL, OF ST. LOUIS, ,MISSOUBI.

BALL-(EASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

."Patented. Feb. 18, 1913.

'Application filed May 21, 1912. Serial No. 698,852.

To all whom 2'2 may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY L. ALGER- nrssnrz, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Prospect Hill, St. Louis county, Missouri, have invented ccrtain new and useful Improvements in Ball-Casters, of which the following a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in ball casters, and the object of my invention is to construct a caster body in cup form arranged to receive a large ball and a number of small balls, a retaining ring and a member arranged to be secured to the article to be supported by the caster, all of sheet metal, and to provide integral means Whereby the parts of the caster may be assembled and secured at a minimum of cost.

lVith the above purposes in view my in vention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more" fully described, pointed out in the claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in elevation a caster constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional elevation of the caster; Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the caster; and f is a vertical, sectional elevation of one of my improved casters having a plate for :lttiltflllllht to the article to be supported Figs. 1 and 2 being the type having stems to fit in sockets.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: :3 designates the cup shaped body portion of the caster having formed integral therewith a conical stem 6 provided with a shoulder 7. 0n the'lower rim or margin of the cup shaped body portion 5 there is formed a plurality of spaced apart projections 8. I

9 designates the ball cup which is shaped to fit Within the body portion 5 of the caster, and is provided at its lower end with an annular flange 10 which is perforated at 11. the number and spacing of the perforations being the same as the number and spacing of the projections h of the cup shaped body portion 7 l2 designates a ring which is perforated at 13 coincident .Yltll. the PGTfOditllOIlh 11 in the tin age 16 of the cup f), The eing'ilz is prol placed into the cup 9.

vided at its inner periphery with a substantially right angled depending flange 14.

15 designates a plurality of balls which are arranged to engage in rolling contact with the inner surface of the cup 9 and with. eachother, and upon the upper surface of the ring 12, v p I 16 designates a ball of much greater size than the balls 15 which is placed in a position to engage with each of the balls 15 and is retained in position in engagement with said balls 15 by the depending flangel l of the ring 12. It is to be-observed that the upper surface of the ring 12 is on a line .above the center of the large ball 16 in order that the friction between the smallba1ls15, the cup 9 and large ball 16 is reduced to a minimum It is to be observed further that the lower end of the flange 14 extends below the contend the large ball 16, thereby re taining thevlarge ball in-position so that, when the article which is supported by the caster is elevated from the supporting surface, the large ball 16 will not be dropped from the caster proper.

In Fig. t the stem 6 of the body portion has secured thereto a plate 17 having screw holes th'erethrough in order that the caster may be secured to articles of furniture not having socket holes.

All of the parts entering into the c0nstruetionof my improvedcaster are each struck from singlc pieccs of sheet metal, and the integral securing devices form a means 7 whereby the parts may be held in assembled form. the assembling being facilitated and the cost of construction being reduced to urinimum.

For the reason that the upper surface of the ring 12 is above the center of the large ball l6 crowding of the small balls 15 is prevented. V

'lhe assembling of the parts is most ad- 'vantageously accomplished by holding the cup-shaped body portion; 5 in an inverted pbsition. The ball cu 9 is then placed within the cup-shaped body portion 5, the spaced apart projections 8 of the body portion 5 extending through the perforations in theannular flange 10 of the ball cup 9. The proper number of balls 15 are then is then placed in position. which placing properly distributes the balls 15 in the cup The large ball 16- 9. The retaining ring 12 isthen placed in said projections on the lower margin of the 3 position with its perforations over the ends of the projections 8. The depending flange f 1 4 of the said ring 12 is of such shape that 5 it will pass over the large ball 16 to a point approximat-in the greatest diameter of the larger ball. his completesthe assembly of the caster, except for the bending or clenching of the rojections 8, which is accomplished by simply striking each projection with a hammer or other tool.

I claim:

1. In a caster, a cup shaped body portion having integral spaced apart pro1ections from its lower margin, a map having a perforated flange, a perforate ring having a depending flange, said projections arranged to be inserted through said perforated flange and perforated ring and clenched, a

large ball arranged to be held in place by said depending flange, and a plurality of small balls arranged for rolling contact with said large ball and with said cup..

2. A caster, comprising a cup shaped body :5 portion having an integral hollow stem, and

integral projections at its lower margin, a cup arranged to contain a quantity of small balls, and a retainer having adepending flangearranged to hold in place a large ball,

body portion arranged to secure the cup and the retainer to thebody portion.

3. A caster, comprising a large balland a number of small balls in rolling contact therewith, a cup arranged to enga c with the small balls, a body portion em racing said cup and provided with means for at tachment with an article to be supported, a retaining ring for the smaller balls having its upper surface above the center of the larger ball, an integral depending flange on said ring having its lower end beneath the center of the large ball in order to secure the large ball in place, a flangeformed integral with said cup, there being perforations in said flange and in said ring, and integral projections carried by the body of the caster arranged to be inserted througn saidperforations and clenched to secure the parts of the caster together.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' HENRY L. ALeEnMrssEN,

Witnesses:

E. L. WALLACE N. G. BUTLER. 

